Monster Hunter: The Wyverian Protection Alliance
by Pagrashtak
Summary: Young Hunter Wallace, begins to doubt the Guild after hearing the preaching of the Wyverian Protection Alliance. Is the Guild on the up and up like everyone always told him?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

 _The Wyvern Protection Alliance_

Wallace was crouched down low, hidden upwind from a single Bullfango. He had been sent by the guild to reduce the numbers in this area, and he had already killed 9 of the 10 he had been assigned, this would be the last one needed to control the population. As the beast got closer to his spot, he silently drew the short sword at his side, his shield on his opposite arm already. The slight grinding noise caused by the sword sliding from its sheath alerted the Bullfango to his presence. Wallace had just enough time to roll to the side as his target squealed and charged through the bush, ripping it up at the roots with its strength.

Coming out of the roll on his feet, he quickly turned to face the boar like creature. It had finished it's charge and was shaking the bush free of it's dangerous tusks. Balancing on the balls of his feet, Wallace prepared himself for the next attack. As the bullfango turned to face him again, he could see the hot breath form a steam in a chilling evening air as it snorted, stamping its front right hoof as it readied for a charge.

Wallace held his shield in front of him, bracing for the impact that this beast would have. Sure enough, the impact pushed him back about three feet, but left the bullfango shaking it's head, trying to clear its own vision. Moving quickly, Wallace closed the distance and slashed at the right side of the beast, as the sword left a long gash from shoulder to rump, the bullfango squealed in pain.

Turning around, the Hunter leapt onto the back of his target and dug his blade deep into its back, working to sever its spinal cord near the neck. He heard the satisfying snap of bone breaking and was thrown from the bullfango's back as it collapsed to the ground, it's body refusing to listen to it's commands. Wallace stood and walked to his prey, he pulled his sword free and with a grunt, rolled the beast onto it's back.

As the hot breath of the dying beast overwhelmed him, wallace shielded his face with his shield arm, and with deft, practiced actions, drew his blade across its throat, ending it's squeals and put it out of it's misery. Sheathing the weapon, he pulled his Carving knife, the mark of an official hunter, and set to work on removing the tusk, thankful that the blade possessed a serrated edge capable of cutting through bone. After adding it to his pack, he skinned the beast and carved the most useful parts from it, saving a piece of meat for a snack before he headed home. As he made his way off, several Jaggi and a Jaggia approached the fresh carcass and began to eat.

The trek back to Val Harbor was relatively calm, a few Jaggi had harassed him when he cooked the raw meat he had saved, and he had driven them back with a torch. Wallace did not want to kill them if there was no reason too, and since the torch had proven effective, he was able to continue his journey home. The city gates proved a welcoming site in the early morning as Wallace felt his stomach growling, a bowl of Aptnanoth stew and Rice was sounding very good right now, and he was anxious to see his friend, Barry.

When Wallace entered the town of Val Harbor, he saw a large group had gathered to listen to a Street Talker, curious, he moved in to see what the fuss was about. "The Hunters Guild has lied to all of us!" the impassioned young man on the platform was shouting. "For generations, they have claimed to protect us," He pounded a fist into his open hand, "to keep the towns and villages safe." Intrigued by where this might be going, Wallace moved toward the front of the crowd.

The speaker spotted him in his guild armor and pointed at him as he went on, "But the Hunters like HIM, they have over hunted the beasts of our world, awakening the forces of the Elder Dragons." People began to murmur amongst themselves, but the young man just raised his voice, "It's because of the Guild's greed and corruption that we now live in fear of the Dah'ren Morahn and it's kind." Wallace could hear people start to murmur in agreement with the protester and grew nervous, "We in the Wyvern Protection Alliance say that the Guild has been in power for too long! It's time they stopped killing the Wyverns of our world, and instead find new ways to repel them." Wallace began backing his way up through the crowd, "The Guild has been secretly drawing these fearsome beasts to our homes, to threaten our lives. All so that they can charges us an exorbitant fee to get rid of them."

He pointed to the crowd in a general way, "Who among us has not lost a friend or family member in a Monster attack?" as people nodded in agreement or wept in memory of their lost ones the young man went on, "The simple fact is that the Guild is responsible for 85% of all monster sightings near towns, and have been for 50 years!" The crowd gasped at this claim, and Wallace shook his head, leaving the crowd and heading to turn his quest before visiting the pub.

"Hey Rocky," Barry greeted him, remembering to use his Hunter name. Something the guild had started to protect families of Hunters from WPA harassment. "You getting the usual?"

"Yes, thanks, Barry." Wallace had been a regular here since his first day in the Guild, and always got the same thing, Aptanoth Stew over steamed rice. It was a plain meal, but it was cheap, and until the guild let him take on bigger challenges, it was all he could really afford. "Say, Barry, did you hear that nutjob preaching up the street?"

Barry set the bowl of stew in front of Wallace, "You mean the WPA guy? Yeah, I've heard them a few times. Why do you ask?" He motioned to a co-worker that he was taking a break and sat down across from his friend.

After swallowing his first bite, Wallace looked at Barry, "Well, that guy was claiming that the Guild was somehow intentionally drawing monsters close to towns so that people would hire them to take care of it." Barry nodded as Wallace went on, "But that would mean that the majority of problems are actually caused by the guild. I can't believe they would put people in danger like that."

"A lot of people do believe that, Rocky." He shook his head sadly, "and the numbers keep growing. Pretty soon, the guild will be forced to respond in some way." He smiled, "And who knows, that may not be such a bad thing in the end."

"What are you saying, Barry?" Wallace asked between bites. "The guild has done nothing but protect people for centuries. Do you really think they could be doing it only for money?"

Barry sighed, "What I think doesn't matter in the end. What does matter, is how the Guild responds to the claims of the WPA and what really is going on behind the closed doors of the highest guild members."

"You're right," Wallace said as he finished the stew, "I just hope the WPA claims aren't true. The ramifications if they are right are just too bitter a pill to swallow."

Barry nodded and gestured to another co-worker who promptly brought a beer to Wallace. "Drinks on me this time, Rocky. Just consider everything you hear, and always take it with a grain of salt." With that, he rose and returned to his duties, leaving Wallace to ponder over what he had heard as he enjoyed the cool beer.

As Wallace returned to the Guild Hall and the dormitory, he found his mind wandering as he went over what he knew of Monster Attacks over the last few years. He knew there had certainly been an increase, but that was common whenever an Elder Dragon was reported as moving. But if the WPA was right, that would mean the guild had found a way to wake these ancient terrors and lure them to towns so that they could make money.

He spent the next several hours going over guild records for the last 2 decades, tracking the increase in monster activities and the arrival of Elder Dragons. What he saw made him uneasy, even after an Elder Dragon Attack, or EDA, monster activity did not drop to the normally expected levels the previous three times. But instead, they went down a mere 35%, far less the the 75% that was expected. Closing the logs, he turned in for the night, his thoughts troubled.

Behind the pub, Barry handed a pouch full of Zenny to the WPA guy who had been passionately speaking. "Good work today. I want you to come back in a week for another performance." The young man nodded as he slid the pouch into a pocket. "You got him thinking, and if he sees the data I have, he may believe us." The man nodded once more, saluted and walked away as Barry grabbed a broom and began sweeping the area around his pub, whistling a soft tune.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

 _The Guild's Recon Squad_

The next day, Wallace was preparing to select from the list of quests for his next run, it was a short list, seeing sad he had not yet been able to prove he was ready for the bigger beasts. As he flipped through the usual quest lineup, he noticed that the Verdant Hills Area was marked as off limits. Having never seen such a thing before, he waved down the Guild Guide that was assigned to the counters that day. "Excuse me, Ma'am, but why is the Verdant Hills closed to Hunters today?"

"Good Morning Rocky," she said as she walked over, Wallace was always amazed at how every Guild Guide seemed to know him by name like that, "The Verdant Hills is currently closed while the Guild Recon Squad surveys the area to confirm sightings of a large flying Wyvern in that area. Once they have confirmed and assessed the beast, it will be made open to appropriately ranked hunters to dispatch."

Wallace nodded, "So this is pretty normal then?" He leaned on the counter, "It was never covered during my orientation."

"Oh yes, Rocky." She began, "Recon groups are very important to making sure that a hunter is never allowed to take on a quest beyond their ability and gear levels." She gestured towards the Hunters Diner, where Hunters could get get food only if they were preparing for a quest, "Those gentlemen in Bright green are the ones assigned to this particular area, I'm sure they can tell you much more than I can." She smiled as she crossed her hands in front of her and tilted her head to the side slightly, "But you should go ask them now, they are supposed to leave in about an hour." At that, she moved over to assist another Hunter in registering for their quest.

Wallace walked over to their table, and spotting an empty seat, he sat down and reclined against the chair back slightly, "Hello, name's Rocky. I hear you guys are some kinda special recon group. Mind If I ask you guys how that works?" He smiled as he looked the trio over.

The guy with a big black beard chuckled slightly before turning his full attention back to the plate in front of him, content to either ignore Wallace, or let someone else deal with him. Wallace jumped slightly when the young faced redhead laughed and smacked a hand against the table, "Can you believe this guy, Sal? This rookie thinks he can just walk over to OUR table and…"

"Shut it Jay," Said the man in the middle, his ran a hand over his closely cropped brown hair, the faded line of a scar just visible along his hairline. "So, rocky is it?" Wallace nodded, "Tell me something, Kid. How long you been a hunter? From the look of your gear, I can't imagine it's been too long."

Wallace shifted nervously in his chair, "Only got my Hunters License last Month. Does that really matter?"

Sal chuckled, "Nah, Kid. It doesn't matter." He looked at his companions briefly then back to Wallace. "Now, I could spend the next half of my month explaining things and answering questions for ya." Sal leaned forward, "But I'll tell you what, our fourth is out with a pretty bad injury, and we could use a replacement on this run. So, if you're interested, I'll let the cook know to give you a meal on our tab, and you can meet us by the gates in 45. We'll show you what we do, and you can help us wrap up this assessment quicker." As he stood, his friends rose as well, the redhead, Jay, chuckling while the bearded man simply shook his head.

Wallace watched them leave in a state of shock. He had hoped to get a few questions asked, but to be asked to go along with them, well that seemed improbable. He was unsure if he was going to take them up on the offer, but when he thought back to the accusations of the WPA, of how the guild was luring these monsters in order to turn a profit, his mind was made up. After all, this could be a chance to learn if there was any truth to the claims. Smiling at his own good fortune, Wallace flagged down a server and ordered a big bowl of Mushroom and Larinoth stew.


End file.
